MANILA, Philippines -- Acting Justice Secretary Agnes Devanadera has indicated that she is being pressured to go slow in pinning down members of the Ampatuan clan in connection with the Maguindanao massacre.

Devanadera, the concurrent solicitor-general, said a person whom she refused to identify relayed to her a message asking her to take it easy in prosecuting the members of the influential Maguindanao clan.

“They were asking that the Ampatuans not be pinned down,” Devanadera told reporters in a news conference.

Asked who sent the message, Devanadera said: “That’s just for me to know.”

Devanadera said all the judges in the Cotabato City regional trial court have gone on leave. Asked if they were afraid to handle the case against Datu Unsay Mayor Andal Ampatuan, Jr., the prime suspect in the massacre, the justice secretary said: “Officially, they are on leave.”

Devanadera suggested that judges and prosecutors with jurisdiction over the killings in Maguindanao took leaves of absence in consideration of their safety.

“They also received messages. Text messages. Information relayed to them,” Devanadera said.

Devanadera said she appointed the City Prosecutor of General Santos, Edilberto Jamora, to handle the gathering of evidence and the filing of cases before the courts.

Asked if it was safe to assume that the judges also received the same threats, Devanadera said: “Yes.”

Devanadera said the filing of murder charges against Andal, Jr., before a Cotabato City judge was done with heightened security.

She has asked the Supreme Court to transfer the venue of the trial against Ampatuan to Manila.